Electric discharge tube



y 1958 c. P. KLOPPING ETAL 2,841,737

ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBE Filed March 18, 1952 INVENTORS Corel Peter Kldpping Chrisr i can Leonordus P' k Agent United States Patent ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBE Carel Peter Kliipping and Christiaan Leonardus Pick,

Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignors, by mesne assignments, to North American Philips Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 18, 1952, Serial No. 277,217 Claims priority, application Netherlands April 23, 1951 4 Claims. (Cl. 313318) This invention relates to electric discharge tubes. In particular, the invention relates to those electric discharge tubes having a plurality of substantially rigid connector pins to provide external circuit connections to the tube which are sealed into a generally cup-shaped member secured to the lower portion of the tube.

Heretofore, tubes of the foregoing type employed a flexible conductor for connecting an electrode within the tube to one of the rigid connector pins while the cup-shaped member was separated from the tube. Afterwards, the cup-shaped member was secured to the housing of the tube resulting in bending of the flexible conductors. Such a construction had the disadvantage that the bent flexible conductors might contact each other resulting in a short-circuit within the tube.

It is an object of the invention to provide a construction for an electric discharge tube for connecting a plurality of electrodes within the tube to a plurality of rigid connector pins sealed in a cup-shaped member without using flexible conductors.

This and further objects of the invention will be best understood from the following description.

According to the invention, an electric discharge tube comprising at least one electrode enclosed by a tube housing which is to be connected to a rigid connector pin sealed in a cup-shaped member is provided with a substantially rigid lead-in conductor connected to the electrode and supported by a disc-shaped member within the tube. The cup-shaped member is provided with a metal terminal member connected to one of the rigid connector pins and adapted to be engaged by the lead-in conductor member. When the cup-shaped member is secured to the housing of the tube, the lead-in conductor engages the terminal member thus ensuring a reliable connection between the electrode and the connector pin without the risk of an internal short-circuit. Solder may be melted in the connection between the lead-in conductor and the terminal member to provide a good strong electrical connection. Alternatively, a ring of solder may be provided on the lead-in conductor or the terminal member. Upon degassing the tube or sealing the cup-shaped member to the tube housing, the temperature will usually rise to the point where the solder will melt and flow into the terminal member thus securing the lead-in conductor thereto.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view, in cross-section, of one form of electric discharge tube in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of one form of terminal member in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the terminal shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, an electric discharge tube comprises a housing 1 enclosing an indirectly-heated cathode 8 and a heating filament 9. The tube housing 1 is secured to a cup-shaped member 2 through a hollow cylindrical intermediate member 3. The housing 1, the intermediate member 3 and the cup-shaped member 2 are sealed to each other in a vacuum-tight manner.

Two pin-shaped lead-in conductors 4, 5 are connected, respectively, to the cathode 8 and filament 9 and are supported in their operative position by an insulating disc-shaped member 12 which is secured to the inner wall of the intermediate member 3.

A plurality of connector pins 10, 11, 14 and 15 serving 7 to provide external circuit connections to the cathode 8 and filament 9, respectively, are sealed in the wall of the cup-shaped member 2 by beads 19. Each of the connector pins 10, 11 are connected, respectively, to two annular terminal members or eyelets 6, 7 which are secured to an insulating disc-shaped member 18. The disc-shaped member 18, is, in turn, secured to the cup-shaped member 2. The annular terminal members 6, 7 are engaged, respectively, by the lead-in conductors 4, 5. Accordingly, external circuit connections to the electrodes 8, 9 are provided by connector pins 10, 11, which are connected to annular terminal members 6, 7, which, in turn, are engaged by lead-in conductors 4, 5, which, in turn, are connected to the electrodes 8, 9 and by connector pins 14 and 15 which are connected to the electrodes by means of connectors 12 and 13 respectively.

A ring of solder 16 is provided on the lead-in conductors 4, 5. Upon degassing the tube, in a conventional manner, the annular terminal members 6, 7 and the leadin conductors 4, 5 become hot thereby melting the solder and causing it to flow into the joint between the leadin conductors 4, 5 and the terminal members 6, 7 resulting in good electrical connection therebetween.

Instead of the annular terminal members or eyelets 6, 7 shown in Fig. 1, use may be made of apertured metal strips 17, as shown in Fig. 2, which are connected directly to the connector pins.

While the invention has been described in connection with specific examples and in specific applications, other modifications thereof will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An electric discharge tube comprising an envelope having a substantially cylindrical portion, a base member hermetically sealing off said cylindrical portion, at least one solid connector pin extending through said base and sealed therein, a metal terminal member wholly within said cylindrical portion, said terminal member having an aperture therein, means to connect said terminal member to said connector pin, at least one electrode in said envelope and secured to said cylindrical portion, a rigid conductor within said cylindrical portion secured at one end to said electrode and extending at the other end into the aperture in said terminal member, and means effecting an electrical connection between said conductor and said terminal member.

2. An electric discharge tube comprising an envelops having a substantially cylindrical portion, a base member hermetically sealing oif said cylindrical portion, at least one solid connector pin extending through said base and sealed therein, ametal terminal member wholly within said cylindrical portion and secured to said base, said terminal member having an aperture therein, means to connect said terminal member to said connector pin, at least one electrode in said envelope and mounted on said cylindrical portion, a rigid conductor having a straight end within said cylindrical portion secured at one end to said electrode and extending at the other straight end into the aperture in said terminal member, means secured to said cylindrical portion supporting said conductor and maintaining it in position, and solder means effecting an electrical connection between said conductor and said terminal member.

3. A tube as claimed in claim 2 in which an insulating 3 member secured to said base supports said terminal member, and in which the terminal member is annular.

4.. A. tube as claimed. in claim: 2- in which; the terminal member is strip-like, and in which the means supporting the conductor is an insulating member. 7 5

References Cited in the file of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,239,423' Hull Apr. 22, 1941 10 4 Crawford June 17, 1941 Power Nov. 18, 1941 Miller Dec. 21, 1943 Liebmann: June 28, 1949 Vance Aug. 14, 1951 Benedict May 19, 1953 

